Did Ya Know?... Curbside
cleanup of fallen branches will continue through
February 1. Limbs will be collected only from the
City right-of-way, directly behind the curb line.
No collections will be made from private
property. Citizens wishing to have limbs removed
are encouraged to move debris to the
right-of-way. For more information call the
Public Works Department at 237-7010.

Did Ya Know?... The
Carthage Public Librarys Wednesday morning
story time will resume on January 9th, and Young
Adult Book Discussion Group will meet on January
8th at 4:00 p.m.

The doctor was examining a
naval hospital orderly for advancement in rating.
"What would you do if the captain fainted on
the bridge?"
"Bring him to," warbled the aspiring
orderly.
"Then what?" asked the doctor.
"Bring him two more," returned the man
promptly.

A visitor to Mark Twains
home commented upon the abundance of books, and
the rather limited accommodations for them.
"Yes," agreed Twain, a bit wistfully,
"yes, but its so difficult to get
friends to loan you shelves."

Members of the younger
generation are alike in many disrespects.

1908INTERESTING MELANGE. A Chronological Record of Events as they have
Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.

Installed and Electric
Motor.

C.H. Ziler today installed
an electric motor in his blacksmith shop on Howard
avenue. He will use it as power to run his forge blasts,
emery wheels, etc., and to do his heavy hammering.

Mrs. W.H. Blankenship has
been spending the week with Mrs.. J.B. Lee at Joplin and
Mr. Blankenship got home last night from a tour of the
East. Their two sons, Brice and Sidney, are spending the
winter with their Grandfather Bartleson at Pleasanton,
Kans.

The City Council
Public Works Committee met late last week and
discussed the ongoing storm debris cleanup
efforts.

Public Works
Director Chad Wampler outlined the course of
action for J & R Disaster Services, with whom
the City has a contract for storm debris removal.

Wampler said that
the City had been divided into quadrants, the
center of which is the corner of Macon and
Garrison. Wampler said that the crews have begun
cleanup in the Northwest area, and will move from
there to the Northeast, then to the Southeast and
finally to the Southwest. The crews began removal
from school properties Wednesday, and Wampler
said that several down power lines had been found
during the cleanup process that might not have
been found so soon otherwise. The totals from
Wednesday were 1,219 cubic yards of debris hauled
to the City landfill.

Wampler also said
that the crews had been struggling against the
cold weather and some minor equipment
malfunctions, but that good progress was being
made. The City landfill and recycling center is
being kept open 7 days a week. J & R Disaster
Services is scheduled to make three separate
passes through the City.

Street
Commissioner Tom Shelley said that since December
9th the Street Department had worked almost
solely on debris cleanup. Shelley said that the
department was focusing primarily on alleyways,
as the contracted cleanup is being done from City
right-of-ways.

City Administrator
Tom Short said that a meeting will be held on
January 10 with FEMA to discuss reimbursements
for the storm cleanup. Citizens with questions
about the debris removal are encouraged to call
the Public Works Department for more information
at 237-7010.

Just Jake
Talkin'
Mornin',
I had visions of an underground
"clubhouse" durin my preteen
years. We had a large field behind our house that
was planted to crops most seasons and the earth
was always plowed It looked like a perfect spot
to dig a large underground room.

I gathered up the pick and a shovel or
two and commenced to dig. After a few hours of
gettin through the soft top soil, I
discovered that the earth gets pretty solid. I
had, however, etched out enough ground to make a
pretty nice fox hold of sorts. Bout big
enough to hold two small boys duckin the
oncomin rounds of imagined enemy fire.

Course at that age, a fox
hole worked pretty well, too. In fact it
didnt matter much that it was only a couple
a feet deep. The imagination wasnt limited
by the confines of space.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin.

Sponsored
by:
Oldies & Oddities

This Is A HammerBy Samantha Mazzotta

Quick Action
Prevents Frozen Pipe Damage

DEAR HAMMER: Last
year during a spell of unusual cold, I turned on
the kitchen sink tap and noticed the water flow
was very weak. Right away I knew that a pipe was
freezing. My husband went to the cellar and felt
along the cold-water supply line until he found a
couple of very cold sections of pipe. Because
water was still flowing through the tap we
didnt shut off the flow of water. We
wrapped old towels around the freezing spots and
poured hot water from a tea kettle over each
towel. Very quickly -- within 20 minutes -- the
water began flowing normally from the tap.

This year we
wrapped insulation around the supply lines, both
hot and cold -- to conserve heat in the hot line,
and to prevent the cold line from freezing. Just
wanted to let you know that the
"hot-water-and-towels" method is
no-cost and really works. -- Blair W., White
Plains, N.Y.

DEAR BLAIR: Thanks
for the story! Insulating pipes and monitoring
the flow of water during cold spells are
effective ways to prevent frozen and burst pipes.
Its a good idea, when temperatures in your
area drop well below normal, to let the taps drip
steadily until the weather improves -- water
moving through the pipes will help prevent
freezing as well.

This winter is
already shaping up to be exceptionally cold and
snowy in the East and Midwest. In addition to
preventing pipe freezes, homeowners should make
sure that heavy snow doesnt cause problems,
either. High snowdrifts can cover vents you
dont normally pay attention to, such as
dryer and heating vents, potentially causing
gases to back up into the house. Ice can form
inside unshielded vent stacks, so that sewer
gases dont vent properly. Clear snow and
ice away from ventilation exit points as soon as
a storm ends.

HOME TIP: A
diminishing flow of water from the tap during a
cold spell can signal that a pipe is beginning to
freeze.